blessings are blessings, even if they are misnomers

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
07/05/2017 at 22:23 • Filed to: None

A new Maverick just opened up down the street from me which suits me fine since I like their soda. I normally don’t buy their gas on account of it being tier 2 gas but you know what? Ethanol free is ethanol free. Finally, the cruiser gets the juice it wants and I stop getting double taxed on Dino booze.

Sure it’s more expensive but my mileage really does improve.

On a related note. Gasoline is straw yellow liquid, ethanol is clear. Maverick...”clear gas” couldn’t be a more wrong name for your product. Maybe if it was hydrogen you were selling but I think in that case simply “hydrogen” works.

DISCUSSION (31)

deprecated account > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 22:29

Holy crap y’all’s regular is 85??? 87 out here, and clear gas is 91... and more expensive.

HammerheadFistpunch > deprecated account
07/05/2017 at 22:31

typical of high altitudes. Though here “clear gas” is still more pricey.

Captain of the Enterprise > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 22:40

My sister just moved to Fort Collins Colorado and was confused by the 85 and 86 octane fuel and asked me about it and I didn’t know if it was okay or not so I said to put in 87 or higher. Is it okay to put lower octanes in the car when your in higher altitudes?

HammerheadFistpunch > Captain of the Enterprise
07/05/2017 at 22:41

for NA, yeah. The lower atmospheric pressures permit lower octanes since cylinder pressure is lower.

Captain of the Enterprise > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 22:53

She has an NA 2012 Kia Soul with the 2.0

MM54 > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:00

Jealous. The nearest non-ethanol to me is about half an hour southeast.

deprecated account > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:00

Is that like an AFR thing?

HammerheadFistpunch > MM54
07/05/2017 at 23:01

same for me until this.

Funktheduck > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:05

The only one I know of is about an hour north of me. I’m sure there are closer ones but I haven’t come across them.

HammerheadFistpunch > deprecated account
07/05/2017 at 23:09

just cylinder pressures. The cylinders can only draw in so much air and so the pressures before ignition are low enough that you don’t have to worry about preignition. Of course, the particular engine it was being fed to was designed for this level of fuel quality

Kinja'd!!!

so its going to run on just about anything...but it sure runs better with the good stuff.

fhrblig > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:10

We’re getting a new Maverik station soon, which is nice because every gas station near our house is absolutely terrible.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:13

I was once in a seedy neighborhood and saw economy 85. Thought “wtf is this?” In my parts, lowest around is always 87.

bhtooefr > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:16

Although, on an Atkinsonized NA engine with VVT, I’d stick to the recommended octane even at altitude.

(The reason for this is, VVT on an Atkinsonized engine gives some authority to advance the cam timing as air density decreases, to compensate for the lost power. Of course, if the ECU does this, you’re going to run into detonation issues if you put 85 in the tank at altitude, and then it has to back off.)

Frenchlicker > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:18

That’s a solid price for non ethanol though. Only $.30 more.

HammerheadFistpunch > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
07/05/2017 at 23:20

High elevations, when your ambient pressures are a few psi lower, your effective compression ratio is too

TrackDayIdiot > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:22

Just got ethanol free up the street at Maverick here too. Gonna see how my car like its next fill up.

bhtooefr > deprecated account
07/05/2017 at 23:23

It’s a cylinder pressure thing, not an air/fuel ratio thing.

I’m going to oversimplify here, but basically, at sea level, air pressure is on average 14.7 PSI. At 10:1 compression, that would mean 147 PSI in the cylinder (in reality it’s more than that, due to heat generated during compression increasing the pressure further, but as I said, I’m oversimplifying).

Now, at 5280 ft, it’s only 12.1 PSI. At 10:1 compression, that’s 121 PSI in the cylinder - less pressure. And, less pressure means less heating, less heating means less detonation.

HammerheadFistpunch > Frenchlicker
07/05/2017 at 23:23

seriously, I paid $3.30 for the stuff this weekend...of course it was a small ,no stoplight, town.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:23

Yeah but this was at sea level. which just confused me, A) what cars run on this, b) how many people drive these cars that run on it to offer? C) how can this be “economical to produce for 1 station.

HammerheadFistpunch > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
07/05/2017 at 23:25

yeah, thats a little odd.

HammerheadFistpunch > fhrblig
07/05/2017 at 23:31

Im not sold on their gas, but their stores are the best.

bhtooefr > bhtooefr
07/05/2017 at 23:41

Oh, and a tangential note related to that, that I forgot, that won’t happen in the US.

If you have a Toyota hybrid, and you’re in a country where 91 RON octane is available, but you share marketing with Toyota Europe (or you simply have a European-spec car), it’ll call for 95 RON. (Actually, I think this might just be Australia and New Zealand that are like this...) If the US-spec version calls for 87 AKI, or the Japanese-spec version calls for 90 RON... 91 is fine. However, that’s independent of altitude, I’d do that at sea level, too.

UserNotFound > HammerheadFistpunch
07/05/2017 at 23:43

Booo, there is NO ethanol free even remotely near me. There may be be none in the entire state of MD ...

Frenchlicker > HammerheadFistpunch
07/06/2017 at 00:18

I drop a guy off after work that lives in an area like that. $2.24 for 87 octane there. $1.97 15 minutes away in a regular town. Those gas stations love to take advantage of those that don’t or can’t travel too far.

HammerheadFistpunch > Frenchlicker
07/06/2017 at 00:23

well, to be fair its a vacation town, so they charge what they damn well please, especially peak season.

VonBootWilly - Likes Toyota, but it's still complicated. > HammerheadFistpunch
07/06/2017 at 06:14

Probably helpful when a dealership tells all the poor people with aging virtual flex fuel vehicles that they need to go put non-ethanol in their car. Then they can come back to fix (reset) the fuel programming.

shop-teacher > HammerheadFistpunch
07/06/2017 at 09:01

Nice! I love putting ethanol free gas into my truck when I go up to rural Wisconsin. I wish I could get it around here.

benjrblant > HammerheadFistpunch
07/06/2017 at 13:37

Ethanol free is the way to go. Unfortunately the closest one to me only has 91 octane and it’s $1 more than e10 91 octane, which is already overpriced. Anytime we’re in UT or western CO, I’ll try to stop at a maverick.

Have you checked pure-gas.org ?

Captain of the Enterprise > HammerheadFistpunch
07/06/2017 at 16:37

Sweet, thank you!

SWITAWI > HammerheadFistpunch
07/10/2017 at 16:27

Can’t get the good stuff around here, but I did pay $1.79/gal for regular unleaded the other day - https://www.gasbuddy.com/GasPrices/Texas/New%20Braunfels

Not gonna complain about that.

HammerheadFistpunch > SWITAWI
07/10/2017 at 16:33

Not too shabby indeed. I find myself with a rotopax in the car these days and If im in the neighborhood I pick it up 4.5+ gallons at a time. For use in the mower/trimmer/boats and cars.